Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Drug Use Common Among West Texas Oil Field Workers
Aug 1 2017 // Eddy Lozoya never failed a drug test in the three years he hauled water and sand across the West Texas oil patch, even though he used at least $200 a day in cocaine to keep his eyes open on brutally long days behind the...
New York’s Waldorf Owner Pressured to Sell as China Clampdown Escalates
Aug 1 2017 // When Anbang Insurance Group Co. agreed to buy New York’s iconic Waldorf Astoria hotel for $1.95 billion in 2014, the world took notice. It was a defining moment in the global rise of China Inc., a deal that would...
Climate Engineering Companies Aim to Curb Global Warming with Science
Aug 1 2017 // Scientists are sucking carbon dioxide from the air with giant fans and preparing to release chemicals from a balloon to dim the sun’s rays as part of a climate engineering push to cool the planet. Backers say the...
Quick Selldown of Anbang’s Overseas Assets May Prove Difficult
Aug 1 2017 // As Anbang Insurance Group Co. comes under pressure to reverse a $10 billion-plus global deal spree, a quick selldown of assets may not be so easy. China is said to have asked the acquisitive insurer to sell its overseas...
Former Postal Worker Sentenced in Texas for Federal Workers’ Comp Fraud
Aug 1 2017 // A U.S. district judge in Texas has sentenced a former postal employee to 21 months in federal prison for participating in a scheme to defraud the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Worker’s Compensation...
Midwest Crops Stressed by Worsening Drought Conditions
Aug 1 2017 // Drought conditions are getting worse in several states, and extreme heat and weeks with little rain have begun to stress corn, soybeans, wheat and livestock in some areas. The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor recently released...
More Counties Could Be Without an Obamacare Insurer in 2018
Aug 1 2017 // With Republican efforts to dismantle Obamacare in disarray, hundreds of U.S. counties are at risk of losing access to private health coverage in 2018 as insurers consider pulling out of those markets in the coming...
Honda Says Florida Crash Death May be Linked to Takata Air Bag Inflator
Jul 31 2017 // Honda Motor Co said on Thursday that a Takata airbag inflator ruptured in car crash in Florida, in what could be the 19th death worldwide linked to faulty airbags recalled as part of the largest automotive safety campaign...
Senators Question If Trump Adviser, AIG Investor Icahn Plays Role in ‘Too Big to Fail’
Jul 28 2017 // Two prominent U.S. Democratic senators are raising questions about President Donald Trump’s special adviser, Carl Icahn, asking in a letter on Thursday if the activist investor is attempting to persuade the...
From Here to Autonomy: Morality and Retirement Timeline for Auto Insurance Pros
Jul 28 2017 // While the media, ethicists and perhaps the public like to ponder whether a self-driving car in a crisis should be programmed to hit a group of nuns crossing the street or hit a bus full of schoolkids, the drive toward...
U.S. Risk Acquires Strategic Insurance Underwriters of Florida
Jul 28 2017 // U.S. Risk Insurance Group, LLC, a property and casualty wholesaler, has acquired Strategic Insurance Underwriters, a specialist trucking MGA and broker headquartered in Sarasota, Fla. Strategic Insurance Underwriters has a...
Report: Climate Change May Pose Threat to Nation’s Electric Grid
Jul 27 2017 // Climate change may pose a serious risk to the nation’s electric grid, according to a new report. The report was prepared by Johns Hopkins University with help from Swiss Re. “Lights out: The risks of climate...
Trump Labor Department Moves to Undo Obama Overtime Rule
Jul 27 2017 // The Trump administration on Tuesday pushed forward with its bid to undo an Obama administration rule to extend mandatory overtime pay to 4.2 million workers and said it was considering treating workers differently based on...
U.S. Transportation Safety Board Calls for More Traffic Cameras
Jul 27 2017 // A U.S. safety watchdog called for broader use of traffic cameras to catch speeding drivers, as it said driving too fast is an under-reported cause of traffic fatalities. Inconsistent reporting by law enforcement causes the...
Court Rules for NBC in Defamation Suit by Oregon Sporting Goods Company
Jul 26 2017 // A federal appeals court has ruled that NBC News did not defame an Oregon sporting goods company by characterizing its exploding rifle targets as “bombs” in a report on the “Today” show. The 2nd U.S....
Markel to Acquire State National for $919 Million
Jul 26 2017 // Markel Corp. will acquire Texas-based State National Companies Inc. for $919 million, a deal that the Virginia-based insurer and reinsurer said will help diversify its underwriting and revenue streams. Both...
U.S. Safety Board to Detail Findings of Deadly New York Train Crash
Jul 26 2017 // The National Transportation Safety Board was scheduled to meet and detail a probe into a 2015 crash between a commuter train and an SUV that killed six people in the New York suburbs, a day after a U.S. official told The...
Illinois Insurance Agent Sentenced to 5 Years for Fraud Scheme
Jul 26 2017 // A Decatur, Ill., independent insurance agent has been sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for defrauding his clients, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois reported. Chief U.S. District...
Surplus Lines Insurance Premium Up Nationwide
Jul 26 2017 // A mid-year compilation of excess and surplus (E&S) insurance premium amounts by the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX) shows a 6.6 percent increase in premium nationally compared with the same period last...
U.S. Risk Announces Acquisition of Strategic Insurance Underwriters
Jul 26 2017 // Dallas, TX, July 26, 2017—U.S. Risk Insurance Group, LLC, the nation’s fifth largest Property and Casualty wholesaler, announced today that it has acquired Strategic Insurance Underwriters, a specialist Trucking...